Plan My Day

Plan My Day

Generate a clean, actionable hour-by-hour plan for the day based on priorities, energy patterns, and constraints.

Why This vs ChatGPT?

Problem with "just asking": You get a different plan each time. No consistency, no memory of what works, no optimization over time.

This skill provides: 1. Consistent methodology - Same decision framework every day (Top 3 priorities, energy windows, buffer rules) 2. Energy-aware scheduling - Automatically matches high-cognitive tasks to your peak hours 3. Constraint-aware - Respects your existing calendar, energy patterns, personal boundaries 4. Learning memory - Can track what scheduling patterns work best for you over time 5. Evening reflection built-in - Forces accountability on what actually got done

You can replicate this by writing the same detailed prompt every day, manually checking your calendar, remembering your energy patterns, and tracking completion rates. Or use this skill in 2 minutes.

Usage

/plan-my-day [optional: YYYY-MM-DD for future date]

With custom energy profile:

/plan-my-day --peak 9-11,14-16 --recovery 13-14

Planning Principles (Research-Backed)

1. Circadian optimization - Cognitive performance peaks ~2-3 hours after waking (Roenneberg, 2012) 2. Ultradian rhythms - Work in 90-minute blocks with 15-20 minute breaks (Ericsson, 1993) 3. Decision fatigue prevention - Schedule high-stakes decisions before 3pm (Kahneman, 2011) 4. Implementation intentions - Specific time+task combinations increase completion by 2-3× (Gollwitzer, 1999)

Energy Windows (Default - Customize Yours)

Peak Performance (Morning): 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Secondary Peak (Afternoon): 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Administrative (Late Afternoon): 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Recovery Blocks: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, 6:00 PM+

Wind Down (Evening): After 7:00 PM

Process

1. Gather Context (30 seconds)

2. Identify Top 3 Priorities (60 seconds)

Filter: Pick the 3 with highest impact×urgency score

3. Build Time-Blocked Schedule (90 seconds)

Buffer rule: Only schedule 80% of available time

4. Apply Constraints

Output Format

# Daily Plan - [Day], [Month] [Date], [Year]
Today's Mission
Primary Goal: [One-sentence outcome for the day]
Top 3 Priorities:
1. [Priority 1 with specific, measurable outcome]
2. [Priority 2 with specific, measurable outcome]
3. [Priority 3 with specific, measurable outcome]
Success looks like: [What "done" means today]
Time-Blocked Schedule
8:00 - 9:00: Morning Prime 🌅
Focus: Wake up, coffee, light movement, review plan
[ ] Morning routine (30 min)
[ ] Review today's plan + priorities (10 min)
[ ] Quick inbox scan (15 min - flag only, don't respond)
Energy level: Building
9:00 - 11:00: Deep Work Block 1 🎯 [PRIORITY #1]
Focus: [Specific priority 1 task]
[ ] [Concrete subtask 1]
[ ] [Concrete subtask 2]
[ ] [Concrete subtask 3]
Target: [Measurable outcome by 11:00]
Protection: Phone off, Slack paused, door closed
11:00 - 11:15: Break ☕
Focus: Step away from desk
Physical movement (walk, stretch)
Hydrate
No screens
11:15 - 12:30: Deep Work Block 2 🎯 [PRIORITY #2]
Focus: [Specific priority 2 task]
[ ] [Concrete subtask 1]
[ ] [Concrete subtask 2]
Target: [Measurable outcome by 12:30]
12:30 - 1:30: Lunch Break 🍽️
Focus: Eat, recharge, disconnect
Proper meal (not at desk)
15-minute walk if possible
No work talk
Energy level: Recovery
1:30 - 3:00: Focused Work Block 🎯 [PRIORITY #3]
Focus: [Specific priority 3 task]
[ ] [Concrete subtask 1]
[ ] [Concrete subtask 2]
Target: [Measurable outcome by 3:00]
3:00 - 3:15: Break ☕
Focus: Recharge
3:15 - 4:30: Meetings / Collaborative Work 👥
Focus: [Meeting name or collaborative task]
[ ] [Meeting 1 with agenda]
[ ] [Follow-up actions from meetings]
Prep: Review agendas 10 minutes before
4:30 - 5:30: Admin & Communication 📧
Focus: Process inbox, respond to messages, light tasks
[ ] Clear email inbox (respond, archive, defer)
[ ] Slack catch-up and responses
[ ] Update project trackers
[ ] Quick wins / small tasks
Energy level: Lower (perfect for admin)
5:30 - 6:00: Planning & Wrap-Up 📋
Focus: Close the day, plan tomorrow
[ ] Evening check-in (see below)
[ ] Tomorrow's top 3 priorities draft
[ ] Inbox zero for peace of mind
[ ] Close all work apps
6:00 PM+: Personal Time 🏡
No work beyond this point
Success Criteria
Must-Have (Non-Negotiable) ✓
[ ] Priority 1 complete: [Specific outcome]
[ ] Priority 2 complete: [Specific outcome]
[ ] At least 80% progress on Priority 3
Should-Have (Important) ⭐
[ ] [Secondary task 1]
[ ] [Secondary task 2]
Nice-to-Have (Bonus) 💡
[ ] [Bonus task 1]
[ ] [Bonus task 2]
Evening Check-In (5 minutes at 5:30 PM)
Completion status:
Priority 1 done? YES / NO - [If no, why?]
Priority 2 done? YES / NO - [If no, why?]
Priority 3 done? YES / NO - [If no, why?]
What went well:
[What worked today? What helped you execute?]
What got stuck:
[Where did you lose time? What blocked you?]
Energy assessment:
Peak hours productive? YES / NO
Breaks taken? YES / NO
Felt energized or drained? [Score 1-10]
Tomorrow's adjustment:
[What to change in tomorrow's plan based on today?]
Quick Decision Framework
Before saying YES to anything today:
1. Is this one of my top 3 priorities?
   - YES → Schedule it in appropriate energy window
   - NO → Go to #2
2. Does this directly support today's mission?
   - YES → Add to relevant time block
   - NO → Go to #3
3. Can this wait until tomorrow?
   - YES → Add to tomorrow's list
   - NO → Question if it's really urgent
If NO to all three → Decline or defer

Real Examples

Example 1: High-Output Day (Founder/Exec)

Context: Product launch week, high-stakes demos, team coordination

## Top 3 Priorities:
1. Finalize launch announcement (900 words, 3 versions) - DONE by 11:30
2. Run partner demo with clear next steps - DONE by 3:00
3. Team sprint planning with Q2 priorities set - DONE by 5:00
Schedule:
9:00-11:30: Deep work → Launch copy (Priority #1)
12:30-2:45: Partner demo prep + execution (Priority #2)
3:00-4:45: Sprint planning with team (Priority #3)
5:00-5:30: Email/admin/wrap
Evening Check-In:
✓ Priority 1: YES (shipped 3 versions, CEO approved)
✓ Priority 2: YES (partner committed, contract signed)
✓ Priority 3: YES (team aligned, stories pointed)
What worked: Protected deep work time for writing, prepped demo thoroughly
Tomorrow: Start execution on sprint, less coordination overhead

Example 2: Deep Work Day (Individual Contributor)

Context: IC developer, needs 6+ hours of uninterrupted coding

## Top 3 Priorities:
1. Ship authentication refactor (PR ready for review) - DONE by 12:00
2. Debug production issue #847 (root cause found + fix deployed) - DONE by 4:00
3. Documentation for new API endpoints (published) - DONE by 6:00
Schedule:
9:00-12:00: Deep work → Auth refactor (Priority #1)
1:00-4:00: Deep work → Debug + deploy (Priority #2)
4:15-5:45: Documentation writing (Priority #3)
5:45-6:00: Update tickets, close day
Protections:
Slack: Paused 9am-12pm, 1pm-4pm
No meetings scheduled
Phone: DND mode
Evening Check-In:
✓ Priority 1: YES (PR approved, merged)
✓ Priority 2: YES (issue resolved, monitoring green)
✓ Priority 3: 90% (docs drafted, needs final review tomorrow)
What worked: Zero meetings = maximum flow state
Tomorrow: Finish docs, start new feature work

Example 3: Meeting-Heavy Day (Manager/Director)

Context: Leadership role, multiple teams, coordination day

## Top 3 Priorities:
1. Align exec team on Q2 budget priorities - DONE by 11:00
2. Resolve team conflict (performance conversation) - DONE by 3:00
3. Approve 3 critical design reviews - DONE by 5:30
Schedule:
8:30-9:00: Pre-meeting prep (agendas, talking points)
9:00-11:00: Exec budget meeting (Priority #1)
11:15-12:15: 1-on-1 performance conversation (Priority #2)
1:30-3:00: Design review meetings (Priority #3, all 3 back-to-back)
3:15-4:30: Email/admin/follow-ups from meetings
4:30-5:00: Next week prep + team updates
Evening Check-In:
✓ Priority 1: YES (budget approved, owners assigned)
✓ Priority 2: YES (performance plan agreed, follow-up scheduled)
✓ Priority 3: YES (2 approved, 1 needs revision)
What got stuck: Back-to-back meetings = no thinking time
Tomorrow: Block 2-hour deep work window, fewer meetings

Real Case Study

User: Marketing manager at B2B SaaS company, struggled with reactive days

Before using skill:

After implementing plan-my-day:

Results after 8 weeks:

Key insight: "The daily plan gave me permission to say no. If it wasn't in my Top 3, I deferred it. That one change unlocked everything."

Configuration Options

Standard Mode (default)

/plan-my-day

High-Output Mode

/plan-my-day --mode high-output

Deep Work Mode

/plan-my-day --mode deep-work

Meeting-Heavy Mode

/plan-my-day --mode coordination

Installation

# Copy skill to your skills directory
cp -r plan-my-day $HOME/.openclaw/skills/
Verify installation
/plan-my-day --version

No dependencies required - Pure planning logic.

Future Integrations (Coming Soon)

Pro Tips

1. Run it FIRST thing - Before checking email or Slack. Set the day, don't react to it. 2. Protect Peak hours - Block 9-11am as "Focus Time" on your calendar. Decline meetings here. 3. Track completion rates - Use evening check-in data to improve your estimations 4. Adjust energy windows - Default is 9-11am peak, but if you're different, customize it 5. Combine with "shutdown ritual" - Evening check-in + tomorrow's prep = mental closure 6. Don't over-schedule - If plan shows 7 hours of tasks for 8-hour day, you're on track

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Planning too much - If you schedule 100% of your time, you'll fail. Always leave 20% buffer. ❌ Ignoring energy windows - Putting hard thinking work at 4pm sets you up for failure. ❌ Skipping breaks - 90-minute focus blocks REQUIRE 15-minute breaks or performance drops. ❌ No evening reflection - Without check-ins, you can't improve your planning accuracy. ❌ Changing Top 3 mid-day - Unless genuinely urgent, stick to morning priorities.

Quality Checklist

A good daily plan has:

Support

Issues or suggestions? Provide:

Built on circadian rhythm research (Roenneberg), deliberate practice principles (Ericsson), and GTD methodology (Allen).

Plan your day in 2 minutes. Execute with focus. Win consistently.

/plan-my-day [optional: YYYY-MM-DD for future date]

With custom energy profile:

/plan-my-day --peak 9-11,14-16 --recovery 13-14